Published 17:06 IST, December 15th 2020
Justin Langer affirms Australia 'will be well prepared' for Virat Kohli ahead of 1st Test
Australian coach Justin Langer has said that his team will come hard at the Indian skipper Virat Kohli during 1st Test at the Adelaide Oval starting Thursday
Australian head coach Justin Langer has said that his team will be really well planned to take on the Indian skipper Virat Kohli when the two teams lock horns in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. The first Test match will be played under lights with the pink-ball and the hosts will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in Day-Night Tests.
'Keep him out of the game': Justin Langer
"He is a great player and he is a great leader. I have said over and over, I have got so much respect for Virat Kohli but we are gonna be really well planned for him and because we know how important he is for India as a leader and as a batsman. So, we will have our plans in place and the next trick is to execute them and hopefully, keep him out of the game with his runs", said Langer during a media interaction ahead of the Adelaide Test.
"Hopefully, we have got our plans right. We have seen a lot of him now and he has seen a lot of us too so it should be an amazing contest", the former opening batsman added.
Virat Kohli looks to sign off on a high
Kohli will only be making a solitary Test appearance after which he will be heading back to India to be with his better half Anushka Sharma as the couple is expecting their first child in January. The batting megastar has been granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Meanwhile, 'Captain Fearless' who has not hit a single century this will be hoping to make amends in the D/N Test and sign off on a high by breaching the three-figure mark this time around.
India look to snap Australia's winning streak in pink-ball Test
The odds are against India heading into the Adelaide Test and they will need to play out of their skins in order to come out on top and rewrite history. Kohli & Co. have their task cut out come December 17 as the Aussies have not lost a single D/N Test match ever since their first contest against New Zealand back in November 2015.
The top-ranked Test side have since gone on to win all the five matches that have been played under lights at home.
Updated 17:06 IST, December 15th 2020